Local government from another perspective

Local government elections will be held on March 31, 2024. In Turkey, the political mill turns with water pumped from local governments. This reality, which everyone knows is not only against the law but is also a crime, has been legalized by our political practice!

The destruction caused in the social fabric by the financing of politics through zoning and tender rents siphoned from local governments is far beyond what is seen or estimated. This situation, starting with political parties—both the government and the opposition—is rotting society, demoralizing people, and undermining the foundations of the state.

The deep silence of both the government and the opposition regarding zoning and tender legislation should be reflected upon. The mutual satisfaction with zoning and tender legislation, which allows for all kinds of arbitrariness by those holding power, will undoubtedly be noted by future generations as it deserves.

In recent years, defining local/decentralized governments as democracy and central governments as autocracy, and portraying everything local as good and everything central as bad, is the most effective propaganda weapon of a subtly calculated liquidation strategy. The roots of this idea, which our Western-backed liberals and 'orange' leftists never tire of repeating, go back to the Ottoman Empire's period of collapse. Leaving Prince Sabahattin’s 'Teşebbüs-ü Şahsi' (Individual Initiative) and the Ahrar Party for another article, let us return to our current reality.

It is time to take a closer look at those who present the claim that every thought and practice originating from Ankara—used in the sense of centralism—is bad, and every thought and practice focused on the local level is good, as a prerequisite for complete democracy.

With this discourse, ethnic separatism intends to broaden its front by gaining the support of liberals, the 'orange' left, and political Islamism, which is seeking a reckoning with the Republic. Let us underline once again that the credit of yesterday's left, which has severed its ties with the public and labor, and today's liberals in the eyes of ethnic separatism and political Islamism, has nothing to do with their voter potential.

Ethnic separatism, having taken the funded left by its side, is seeking to establish a more comfortable dialogue with the general electorate in the metropolises of the West. Political Islamism, on the other hand, is seeking a visa of legitimacy that an alliance of the kind seen during the 'opening' and 'wise people' periods would provide them among the general electorate.

The fact that the political government keeps the Gaza issue on the agenda to an extent that goes far beyond the ordinary and acceptable limits, and which cannot even be explained by realpolitik, has dimensions that cannot be hidden regarding the local government elections. Keeping the public's sensitivity toward Gaza warm and not lowering the tension on this issue until March 31, 2024, and attacking the opposition through Gaza, should be read as a calculated and planned election strategy.

March 31, 2024, is also a matter of curiosity in terms of testing whether the new status formed in the main opposition party, which began with the slogan of "change" and resulted in the replacement of the chairman, has been approved or not.

March 31 is also important as it will be an election where it will become clear who is who—whether those who held authority and responsibility closest to the previous chairman have truly changed after the change, or what has and has not changed—during the 13-year 'helalleşme' (reconciliation) process in which Atatürk's party has been gradually distanced from its 'Müdafaa-i Hukuk' (Defense of Rights) roots and traditions.